Nobody really knows why people do heinous things to animals, like abandoning them on the side of the road or abusing them. Unfortunately, it happens quite frequently, and more often than not, it doesn’t end well for the poor animals. And that’s exactly why Jody Obregon, of Fort Worth, Texas, spends every morning searching for abandoned animals, like cats and dogs, that have been dumped on the side of the road.
Even though the animals are hurt, scared, and sick, they’re lucky because they’re given a second chance to live. After Jody finds them, she helps them receive medical attention, rehabilitation, and often times, a loving foster home for them to stay at while they wait for their forever family to find them. Jody told People Magazine, “If there is an animal out there that is alive I get them.” But how does she do it?
Jody’s mission to help any animal she can led her to create the rescue organization, The Abandoned Ones. She named it that because “every animal I found here was abandoned. Whether found tied to the fence or in a trash bag, they were abandoned.” And we’re not talking about a couple dozen animals that she’s rescued. Jody and her staff of volunteers have rescued more than 300 animals over the last seven years. But there’s more…
There’s more to her mission than just rescuing animals. Jody also wants “to educate and foster good relations within the Echo Lake community, teaching families about low cost spay-and-neuter programs. We help mend fences and get dogs off of their tethers. I do follow up with them and create relationships with them and that is part of the impact I have made so far…the relationships with people, and they will then let me know when a dog is running around out here.” And that’s exactly what she did for Gully, who wouldn’t have made it without Jody’s love.
One day, Jody got a report of a poodle mix running around a neighborhood in Fort Worth. It was a stray, and it was being tormented by the neighborhood kids. “Kids were throwing food out on the street, so the dog would run out onto the street,” said Jody. “Then neighbors saw some children tying a water hose around his neck.” Considering the abuse that the dog was going through, Jody assumed the dog could be dead.
Jody went to the neighborhood three times, but the dog was nowhere to be seen. Then she received a photo from the person who initially told her about the dog. It looked like the dog was dead lying on a concrete driveway. Jody assumed that there was no way that the dog was still alive, but that all changed when she went to pick up the dog’s body.
“I started crying because I felt like I didn’t do enough. I felt like I wasn’t there on time to get to this dog before he ended up in this situation,” said Jody. It definitely was a horrible situation, a situation that most dogs wouldn’t live through. Jody mentally prepared herself to pick up the dog’s body, but when she got there, the dog’s head was up. He wasn’t dead! “I was probably the happiest person in the world,” said Jody. But he wasn’t in the clear yet.
The pup, later named Gully, was in terrible condition. He was obviously very frightened due to the abuse and torment that he received, and even though he had no physical injuries, he was definitely weak and dehydrated. Jody believes that there was no way he would’ve survived another day if she wouldn’t have reached him. As soon as he got into the car, Gully let his guard down a bit and gave Jody some nice, wet kisses.
“He was a total transformation, I would say, within 48 hours,” said Jody. Gully spent some much needed time at the vet before he moved in with Jody’s friend, who was able to foster Gully until he found a home. “After a few days, he just came out of his shell. He was just so happy. There were times when I even think he smiled because he was so happy,” said Jody. But that wasn’t all!
According to a post on Facebook, Gully was able to find his forever home! He even has a little brother and is just happy living life! “We showed him that not all humans were bad. And animals are so resilient, and he put his past behind him the moment he was rescued,” explained Jody. But Gully isn’t the only dog lucky enough to cross paths with Jody!
Jody was doing her usual search for abandoned dogs one morning when she stumbled across a heartbreaking sight. As Jody was driving along, a dog slowly lifted its head and watched her drive past him. Jody was heartbroken after days of failed rescues, so she was absolutely ecstatic to see that this dog still had some life in him. Hopefully, she would be able to give this dog a second chance at life, too.
As Jody rushed to the side of the road, the small dog, who limped all the way to her, began crying and made it to Jody as fast as she could. As she got closer, she allowed Jody to touch her dirty, but still sweet little face. Jody was so happy to have found the little pup, who she figured was about six months old, that she didn’t even realize that the dog had something wrapped around her neck until she got into the car.
What was around the dog’s neck? It looked like the dog had something that looked like a shoestring around her neck. As Jody passed the fence, she noticed that the other half of the string was tied to it. She assumed that the little dog tried breaking free and that’s why she was limping and hurt. “The saddest part is that even when she broke free of the string, she still stayed in the same spot, as if waiting for the people who left her there,” said Jody.
As soon as they got into the car, the dog, whom Jody named Callie, began to kiss Jody. It was as if she understood that she was finally okay. Callie was brought to the vet and it was determined that she wasn’t microchipped, and considering everything that she had gone through, was in amazing health. “Dogs like this make me cry all the time. They are just so forgiving. I can see it in her eyes,” said Jody. But there’s more to the story!
Look how happy she is! Callie was fostered for a little while, but then she was able to find a forever home with a family that loves her. She’s receiving everything a pup could ask for – shelter, food, toys, and more than enough love to make up for the abuse that she had once gone through. “She’s coming around to the point that she doesn’t give a damn about what happened to her before. Her past is behind her,” said Jody. Thanks to Jody, Callie and so many other dogs have a very bright future ahead of them!